home.social

#formicidae — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #formicidae, aggregated by home.social.

  1. The young Eastern redbud tree (_Cercis canadensis_) in the co-op garden is blooming! Today I saw winter ants (_Prenolepis imparis_) feeding from the flowers, regular-sized ants climbing up the trunk, ants replete with nectar climbing down.

    #bugstodon #insects #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae

  2. The young Eastern redbud tree (_Cercis canadensis_) in the co-op garden is blooming! Today I saw winter ants (_Prenolepis imparis_) feeding from the flowers, regular-sized ants climbing up the trunk, ants replete with nectar climbing down.

    #bugstodon #insects #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae

  3. The young Eastern redbud tree (_Cercis canadensis_) in the co-op garden is blooming! Today I saw winter ants (_Prenolepis imparis_) feeding from the flowers, regular-sized ants climbing up the trunk, ants replete with nectar climbing down.

    #bugstodon #insects #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae

  4. The young Eastern redbud tree (_Cercis canadensis_) in the co-op garden is blooming! Today I saw winter ants (_Prenolepis imparis_) feeding from the flowers, regular-sized ants climbing up the trunk, ants replete with nectar climbing down.

    #bugstodon #insects #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae

  5. Also came across this ant…event? Largely static, no one running around frantically, just pairs and small groups facing off.

    I got stung by nettles taking this photo lol.

    I told my sister I would ask an ant person (@futurebird) what was happening.

    #bugstodon #insects #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae

  6. Also came across this ant…event? Largely static, no one running around frantically, just pairs and small groups facing off.

    I got stung by nettles taking this photo lol.

    I told my sister I would ask an ant person (@futurebird) what was happening.

    #bugstodon #insects #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae

  7. Also came across this ant…event? Largely static, no one running around frantically, just pairs and small groups facing off.

    I got stung by nettles taking this photo lol.

    I told my sister I would ask an ant person (@futurebird) what was happening.

    #bugstodon #insects #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae

  8. Also came across this ant…event? Largely static, no one running around frantically, just pairs and small groups facing off.

    I got stung by nettles taking this photo lol.

    I told my sister I would ask an ant person (@futurebird) what was happening.

    #bugstodon #insects #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae

  9. A Common Yamfly (Loxura atymnus) spotted feeding on a Leea indica plant at Upper Seletar Reservoir Park on 13 April 2025. The Yellow Crazy Ants don't seem to disturb the butterfly.

    On iNaturalist [ inaturalist.org/observations/2 ].

    #iNaturalist #Nature #Photography #Singapore #Insects #Butterflies #Lepidoptera #Ants #Formicidae

  10. A Common Yamfly (Loxura atymnus) spotted feeding on a Leea indica plant at Upper Seletar Reservoir Park on 13 April 2025. The Yellow Crazy Ants don't seem to disturb the butterfly.

    On iNaturalist [ inaturalist.org/observations/2 ].

    #iNaturalist #Nature #Photography #Singapore #Insects #Butterflies #Lepidoptera #Ants #Formicidae

  11. A Common Yamfly (Loxura atymnus) spotted feeding on a Leea indica plant at Upper Seletar Reservoir Park on 13 April 2025. The Yellow Crazy Ants don't seem to disturb the butterfly.

    On iNaturalist [ inaturalist.org/observations/2 ].

    #iNaturalist #Nature #Photography #Singapore #Insects #Butterflies #Lepidoptera #Ants #Formicidae

  12. A Common Yamfly (Loxura atymnus) spotted feeding on a Leea indica plant at Upper Seletar Reservoir Park on 13 April 2025. The Yellow Crazy Ants don't seem to disturb the butterfly.

    On iNaturalist [ inaturalist.org/observations/2 ].

    #iNaturalist #Nature #Photography #Singapore #Insects #Butterflies #Lepidoptera #Ants #Formicidae

  13. I found this winged queen surrounded by dozens of workers at the base of a tree. I wish I would have stayed and watched how this played out. Some workers were threatening while others seemed to be feeding her. After one ant nipped at her, another nipped at that ant. Did the established colony take in this young queen? When I returned a short time later, they were gone? So many questions...

    #Formicidae #SriLanka #Ants #Insects #InsectInteraction #Oecophylla #smaragdina #Photography #Nature

  14. I found this winged queen surrounded by dozens of workers at the base of a tree. I wish I would have stayed and watched how this played out. Some workers were threatening while others seemed to be feeding her. After one ant nipped at her, another nipped at that ant. Did the established colony take in this young queen? When I returned a short time later, they were gone? So many questions...

    #Formicidae #SriLanka #Ants #Insects #InsectInteraction #Oecophylla #smaragdina #Photography #Nature

  15. I found this winged queen surrounded by dozens of workers at the base of a tree. I wish I would have stayed and watched how this played out. Some workers were threatening while others seemed to be feeding her. After one ant nipped at her, another nipped at that ant. Did the established colony take in this young queen? When I returned a short time later, they were gone? So many questions...

    #Formicidae #SriLanka #Ants #Insects #InsectInteraction #Oecophylla #smaragdina #Photography #Nature

  16. I found this winged queen surrounded by dozens of workers at the base of a tree. I wish I would have stayed and watched how this played out. Some workers were threatening while others seemed to be feeding her. After one ant nipped at her, another nipped at that ant. Did the established colony take in this young queen? When I returned a short time later, they were gone? So many questions...

    #Formicidae #SriLanka #Ants #Insects #InsectInteraction #Oecophylla #smaragdina #Photography #Nature

  17. I found this winged queen surrounded by dozens of workers at the base of a tree. I wish I would have stayed and watched how this played out. Some workers were threatening while others seemed to be feeding her. After one ant nipped at her, another nipped at that ant. Did the established colony take in this young queen? When I returned a short time later, they were gone? So many questions...

    #Formicidae #SriLanka #Ants #Insects #InsectInteraction #Oecophylla #smaragdina #Photography #Nature

  18. Anyway,

    > We show that the two wingless morphs occurring during the root-dwelling phase of the life cycle of the aphid _Paracletus cimiciformis_ follow distinct strategies that entail disparate relationships with ants. On the one hand, the round morph exhibits the plant sap-sucking feeding behavior characteristic of aphids and establishes a typical mutualistic trophobiotic relationship with ants. On the other hand, aphids of the flat morph, although able to feed on plants, are brought inside the ant brood chamber where they are cared for by the ants. Our results show that the latter strategy is accomplished by flat morph aphids by mimicking ant larvae chemical signals and that, besides obtaining ant care, aphids in the brood chamber actively suck hemolymph from ant larvae.
    >
    > […] By being transported by the ants deep into their brood chambers, aphids of the flat morph would be safe from temperature extremes experienced by other root-dwelling aphids that stay closer to the roots to feed. We suggest that lack of access to plants in the brood chamber may have driven the evolution of the ability to use a different food resource (i.e., hemolymph of ant larvae), at least temporarily. The fact that flat morph aphids inside ant nests give rise, when harsh conditions are over, to four morphs representing life history strategies adapted to different temporal and spatial uncertainties…suggests that the flat morph is at the center of a diversified strategy for survival and recolonization of the aphid host plants.

    A. Salazar, B. Fürstenau, C. Quero, N. Pérez-Hidalgo, P. Carazo, E. Font, & D. Martínez-Torres, Aggressive mimicry coexists with mutualism in an aphid, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 112 (4) 1101-1106, doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1414061112 (2015). :OpenAccess:

    #entomology #insects #ants #aphids #antstodon #bugstodon #Hymenoptera #Formicidae #Hemiptera #Aphididae

  19. Anyway,

    > We show that the two wingless morphs occurring during the root-dwelling phase of the life cycle of the aphid _Paracletus cimiciformis_ follow distinct strategies that entail disparate relationships with ants. On the one hand, the round morph exhibits the plant sap-sucking feeding behavior characteristic of aphids and establishes a typical mutualistic trophobiotic relationship with ants. On the other hand, aphids of the flat morph, although able to feed on plants, are brought inside the ant brood chamber where they are cared for by the ants. Our results show that the latter strategy is accomplished by flat morph aphids by mimicking ant larvae chemical signals and that, besides obtaining ant care, aphids in the brood chamber actively suck hemolymph from ant larvae.
    >
    > […] By being transported by the ants deep into their brood chambers, aphids of the flat morph would be safe from temperature extremes experienced by other root-dwelling aphids that stay closer to the roots to feed. We suggest that lack of access to plants in the brood chamber may have driven the evolution of the ability to use a different food resource (i.e., hemolymph of ant larvae), at least temporarily. The fact that flat morph aphids inside ant nests give rise, when harsh conditions are over, to four morphs representing life history strategies adapted to different temporal and spatial uncertainties…suggests that the flat morph is at the center of a diversified strategy for survival and recolonization of the aphid host plants.

    A. Salazar, B. Fürstenau, C. Quero, N. Pérez-Hidalgo, P. Carazo, E. Font, & D. Martínez-Torres, Aggressive mimicry coexists with mutualism in an aphid, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 112 (4) 1101-1106, doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1414061112 (2015). :OpenAccess:

    #entomology #insects #ants #aphids #antstodon #bugstodon #Hymenoptera #Formicidae #Hemiptera #Aphididae

  20. Anyway,

    > We show that the two wingless morphs occurring during the root-dwelling phase of the life cycle of the aphid _Paracletus cimiciformis_ follow distinct strategies that entail disparate relationships with ants. On the one hand, the round morph exhibits the plant sap-sucking feeding behavior characteristic of aphids and establishes a typical mutualistic trophobiotic relationship with ants. On the other hand, aphids of the flat morph, although able to feed on plants, are brought inside the ant brood chamber where they are cared for by the ants. Our results show that the latter strategy is accomplished by flat morph aphids by mimicking ant larvae chemical signals and that, besides obtaining ant care, aphids in the brood chamber actively suck hemolymph from ant larvae.
    >
    > […] By being transported by the ants deep into their brood chambers, aphids of the flat morph would be safe from temperature extremes experienced by other root-dwelling aphids that stay closer to the roots to feed. We suggest that lack of access to plants in the brood chamber may have driven the evolution of the ability to use a different food resource (i.e., hemolymph of ant larvae), at least temporarily. The fact that flat morph aphids inside ant nests give rise, when harsh conditions are over, to four morphs representing life history strategies adapted to different temporal and spatial uncertainties…suggests that the flat morph is at the center of a diversified strategy for survival and recolonization of the aphid host plants.

    A. Salazar, B. Fürstenau, C. Quero, N. Pérez-Hidalgo, P. Carazo, E. Font, & D. Martínez-Torres, Aggressive mimicry coexists with mutualism in an aphid, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 112 (4) 1101-1106, doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1414061112 (2015). :OpenAccess:

    #entomology #insects #ants #aphids #antstodon #bugstodon #Hymenoptera #Formicidae #Hemiptera #Aphididae

  21. Anyway,

    > We show that the two wingless morphs occurring during the root-dwelling phase of the life cycle of the aphid _Paracletus cimiciformis_ follow distinct strategies that entail disparate relationships with ants. On the one hand, the round morph exhibits the plant sap-sucking feeding behavior characteristic of aphids and establishes a typical mutualistic trophobiotic relationship with ants. On the other hand, aphids of the flat morph, although able to feed on plants, are brought inside the ant brood chamber where they are cared for by the ants. Our results show that the latter strategy is accomplished by flat morph aphids by mimicking ant larvae chemical signals and that, besides obtaining ant care, aphids in the brood chamber actively suck hemolymph from ant larvae.
    >
    > […] By being transported by the ants deep into their brood chambers, aphids of the flat morph would be safe from temperature extremes experienced by other root-dwelling aphids that stay closer to the roots to feed. We suggest that lack of access to plants in the brood chamber may have driven the evolution of the ability to use a different food resource (i.e., hemolymph of ant larvae), at least temporarily. The fact that flat morph aphids inside ant nests give rise, when harsh conditions are over, to four morphs representing life history strategies adapted to different temporal and spatial uncertainties…suggests that the flat morph is at the center of a diversified strategy for survival and recolonization of the aphid host plants.

    A. Salazar, B. Fürstenau, C. Quero, N. Pérez-Hidalgo, P. Carazo, E. Font, & D. Martínez-Torres, Aggressive mimicry coexists with mutualism in an aphid, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 112 (4) 1101-1106, doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1414061112 (2015). :OpenAccess:

    #entomology #insects #ants #aphids #antstodon #bugstodon #Hymenoptera #Formicidae #Hemiptera #Aphididae

  22. #BREAKING: _Prenolepis imparis_ nuptial flight day in the garden! I had gone out there to pick up litter and had to return with my phone and lenses.

    #bugstodon #antstodon #insects #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae

  23. #BREAKING: _Prenolepis imparis_ nuptial flight day in the garden! I had gone out there to pick up litter and had to return with my phone and lenses.

    #bugstodon #antstodon #insects #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae

  24. #BREAKING: _Prenolepis imparis_ nuptial flight day in the garden! I had gone out there to pick up litter and had to return with my phone and lenses.

    #bugstodon #antstodon #insects #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae

  25. #BREAKING: _Prenolepis imparis_ nuptial flight day in the garden! I had gone out there to pick up litter and had to return with my phone and lenses.

    #bugstodon #antstodon #insects #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae

  26. I did manage to get some time outside in the nice weather today! It was nuptial flight day for _Prenolepis imparis_, cold-active ants who are typically the last to hunker down for the winter and the first to come out in the spring. Unfortunately these were the best photos I could get.

    #bugstodon #insects #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae

  27. I did manage to get some time outside in the nice weather today! It was nuptial flight day for _Prenolepis imparis_, cold-active ants who are typically the last to hunker down for the winter and the first to come out in the spring. Unfortunately these were the best photos I could get.

    #bugstodon #insects #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae

  28. I did manage to get some time outside in the nice weather today! It was nuptial flight day for _Prenolepis imparis_, cold-active ants who are typically the last to hunker down for the winter and the first to come out in the spring. Unfortunately these were the best photos I could get.

    #bugstodon #insects #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae

  29. I did manage to get some time outside in the nice weather today! It was nuptial flight day for _Prenolepis imparis_, cold-active ants who are typically the last to hunker down for the winter and the first to come out in the spring. Unfortunately these were the best photos I could get.

    #bugstodon #insects #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae

  30. The retractable antennae of Mycetophylax fungus-farming ants leave such a distinct scrobe on the head. Photo from a few years ago from Mindo, Ecuador.

    This is possibly an undescribed species. Too many ants, not enough taxonomists. #Ants #Insects #Formicidae #Mycetophylax

  31. The retractable antennae of Mycetophylax fungus-farming ants leave such a distinct scrobe on the head. Photo from a few years ago from Mindo, Ecuador.

    This is possibly an undescribed species. Too many ants, not enough taxonomists. #Ants #Insects #Formicidae #Mycetophylax

  32. The retractable antennae of Mycetophylax fungus-farming ants leave such a distinct scrobe on the head. Photo from a few years ago from Mindo, Ecuador.

    This is possibly an undescribed species. Too many ants, not enough taxonomists. #Ants #Insects #Formicidae #Mycetophylax

  33. The retractable antennae of Mycetophylax fungus-farming ants leave such a distinct scrobe on the head. Photo from a few years ago from Mindo, Ecuador.

    This is possibly an undescribed species. Too many ants, not enough taxonomists. #Ants #Insects #Formicidae #Mycetophylax

  34. The retractable antennae of Mycetophylax fungus-farming ants leave such a distinct scrobe on the head. Photo from a few years ago from Mindo, Ecuador.

    This is possibly an undescribed species. Too many ants, not enough taxonomists. #Ants #Insects #Formicidae #Mycetophylax

  35. Asian Weaver Ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) spotted moving the abdomen of a large beetle along a rope at Coney Island, Singapore on 30 March 2025. An example of what these ants can do in coordination.

    On iNaturalist [ inaturalist.org/observations/2 ].

    #iNaturalist #Nature #Photography #Singapore #Insects #Ants #Formicidae #Beetles #Coleoptera

  36. Asian Weaver Ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) spotted moving the abdomen of a large beetle along a rope at Coney Island, Singapore on 30 March 2025. An example of what these ants can do in coordination.

    On iNaturalist [ inaturalist.org/observations/2 ].

    #iNaturalist #Nature #Photography #Singapore #Insects #Ants #Formicidae #Beetles #Coleoptera

  37. Asian Weaver Ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) spotted moving the abdomen of a large beetle along a rope at Coney Island, Singapore on 30 March 2025. An example of what these ants can do in coordination.

    On iNaturalist [ inaturalist.org/observations/2 ].

    #iNaturalist #Nature #Photography #Singapore #Insects #Ants #Formicidae #Beetles #Coleoptera

  38. Asian Weaver Ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) spotted moving the abdomen of a large beetle along a rope at Coney Island, Singapore on 30 March 2025. An example of what these ants can do in coordination.

    On iNaturalist [ inaturalist.org/observations/2 ].

    #iNaturalist #Nature #Photography #Singapore #Insects #Ants #Formicidae #Beetles #Coleoptera

  39. Since its what mastadon seems to care about, here's an ant. I thought it was a destroyer ant when I was taking its picture, but it is actually a sneaking ant which is closely related. Please correct me if I'm wrong on the ID. This one was on a guava leaf. My flash is dying so I can't get consistent enough light to stack and I've reverted to my thinner diffuser... Taken at ~1:3.5x

    #Nature #Photography #Macro #Insects #Ants #Formicidae #Myrmicine #Cardiocondyla #SriLanka

  40. Since its what mastadon seems to care about, here's an ant. I thought it was a destroyer ant when I was taking its picture, but it is actually a sneaking ant which is closely related. Please correct me if I'm wrong on the ID. This one was on a guava leaf. My flash is dying so I can't get consistent enough light to stack and I've reverted to my thinner diffuser... Taken at ~1:3.5x

    #Nature #Photography #Macro #Insects #Ants #Formicidae #Myrmicine #Cardiocondyla #SriLanka

  41. Since its what mastadon seems to care about, here's an ant. I thought it was a destroyer ant when I was taking its picture, but it is actually a sneaking ant which is closely related. Please correct me if I'm wrong on the ID. This one was on a guava leaf. My flash is dying so I can't get consistent enough light to stack and I've reverted to my thinner diffuser... Taken at ~1:3.5x

    #Nature #Photography #Macro #Insects #Ants #Formicidae #Myrmicine #Cardiocondyla #SriLanka

  42. Since its what mastadon seems to care about, here's an ant. I thought it was a destroyer ant when I was taking its picture, but it is actually a sneaking ant which is closely related. Please correct me if I'm wrong on the ID. This one was on a guava leaf. My flash is dying so I can't get consistent enough light to stack and I've reverted to my thinner diffuser... Taken at ~1:3.5x

    #Nature #Photography #Macro #Insects #Ants #Formicidae #Myrmicine #Cardiocondyla #SriLanka

  43. Since its what mastadon seems to care about, here's an ant. I thought it was a destroyer ant when I was taking its picture, but it is actually a sneaking ant which is closely related. Please correct me if I'm wrong on the ID. This one was on a guava leaf. My flash is dying so I can't get consistent enough light to stack and I've reverted to my thinner diffuser... Taken at ~1:3.5x

    #Nature #Photography #Macro #Insects #Ants #Formicidae #Myrmicine #Cardiocondyla #SriLanka

  44. Spring in #SriLanka brings one of my biggest joys of the island. May I present to you the weaver ants. First, we have a huge queen. Many have green gasters, but this one is solid orange. She has a good start to her brood. These will eventually be her workers that will build her a nest and feed her. You will often find a few founding queens together on one leaf. One of the few species I know of that seem to do better with multiple queens.

    #SalticidSunday #Formicidae #Ants #Photography #Nature

  45. Spring in #SriLanka brings one of my biggest joys of the island. May I present to you the weaver ants. First, we have a huge queen. Many have green gasters, but this one is solid orange. She has a good start to her brood. These will eventually be her workers that will build her a nest and feed her. You will often find a few founding queens together on one leaf. One of the few species I know of that seem to do better with multiple queens.

    #SalticidSunday #Formicidae #Ants #Photography #Nature